Electric Volkswagen eCrafter to debut at CV Show

Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles will be launching its eCrafter electric van at the Commercial Vehicle Show at the NEC in Birmingham from 24-26 April, ahead of trials with UK customers at the start of May.

Four UK customers are taking part in the tests: Gatwick Airport, Heathrow Airport, City of London Corporation and the London Borough of Southwark.

These tests will allow Volkswagen to incorporate findings and learnings into the final design and production version of the zero-emission van.

The eCrafter has been tailored accommodate city operations with its 100 kW power output, range of around 99 miles and top speed limited to 55mph.

The eCrafter’s lithium-ion battery is integrated into the underbody, meaning the standard vehicle’s entire cargo volume (10.7 m3) is fully usable. A maximum payload of between 1.0 and 1.75 tonnes is available. At a CCS charging station supplying the battery can be charged to 80 per cent in just 45 minutes. From a wallbox, charging time to 100 per cent is around 5.5 hours.

The eCrafter will be available in September 2018, once it has been extensively tested by customers in practice and made fully ready for the market.